Free Web NovelChapter 1159: Chapter 784: Three Possibilities_2
"My old acquaintance..." Yang Xiao realized belatedly, "You’re talking about that guy from the Yu Yuan Sect?"
"That’s right, it’s that young Sect Master. Back then, he was merely at Half-step Netherworld Level, yet he could fiercely clash with a Netherworld-level Apostle. I heard that even Yang Yunluo lost to him ten years ago."
"I must remind you, this person’s talent is extremely high. If he’s not eliminated early, he will surely become a huge threat in the future."
"I’m on par with Yang Qianhe of Ru Lin Academy in strength. If he can imprison this person, I can do it too, while the Sect Master of Yu Yuan Sect can even defeat the Master of Bone Pavilion." Sheng Yanlin distinctly illustrated the strength level of the Master of Bone Pavilion through comparison.
Yang Xiao pondered in his mind, analyzing that although Master of Bone Pavilion was also a Netherworld Envoy, his power was relatively ordinary among the high-level circles of Netherworld Envoys.
"To put it this way, as long as I can recover 60-70% of my peak strength, once I catch him, he will have no chance to escape, and within thirty minutes, I will kill him," Sheng Yanlin declared firmly, but eventually still showed his true intentions.
Seeing Yang Xiao not responding, Sheng Yanlin was somewhat puzzled by this young man. After a moment, Yang Xiao shifted his position to make himself more comfortable in the dark medicinal bath barrel.
"Continue, it’s time to talk about making a trade with me, right? You want me to help you recover your strength in exchange for aiding me to kill this Master of Bone Pavilion. Even if, after killing him, we find that item is not what I want, we can still use his head to claim a reward from the Patrol Defense Office."
"Of course, you might also agree to help me hunt down the young Sect Master of Yu Yuan Sect, eliminating this great threat for me," Yang Xiao revealed bluntly. In his view, the old man’s long speech was merely a prelude to those final few sentences.
"Yang, let’s not mince words. You rescued me from the demon cave, and I’m grateful for your kindness. If you can help me recover my strength, I promise you, your matters will be my matters in the future. When I punish the rebels and reclaim Yiling Academy, you will be the benefactor of Yiling Academy. I won’t break my promise!"
"Alright, Dean Sheng, since we’re both clever people, let’s be frank. Honestly, I don’t trust you."
"You also mentioned that you’ve been searching for the Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes for thirty years, pouring half of your life’s effort into it. If one day you regain power and strength, how can I ensure my safety?"
"I can’t spend my whole life in the territory of the Esoteric Sect. Once back to my country, with your skills, I might not even have a chance to escape and would be killed for the treasure."
Yang Xiao clearly distinguishes between gratitude and his interests. While the old Dean has indeed helped him, it was also in his own interest. The man carried the burden silently for ten years, possessing frightening depth of mind and resourcefulness, far exceeding his own experience; Yang had to guard against this.
"Moreover, there’s one thing I’ve never understood. How were our identities exposed?"
During the escape, Yang Xiao realized these doubts but did not want to create internal discord by asking then. Now, after completely securing their escape, some questions had to be clarified.
"Was it you who leaked our identities, forcing us into a desperate situation to rescue you?"
Yang Xiao’s suspicion was not without reason. Even if the Dharma Sect’s people discovered their identities, there was no reason to inform the old man in front of him, it didn’t make sense.
"Your identities’ exposure has nothing to do with me. I guessed your identities through the magic artifacts you brought."
Sheng Yanlin calmly explained, "Firstly, the number of magic artifacts you brought was substantial, especially with very high quality, which ordinary forces absolutely cannot afford. So, I judged that your background is definitely from a top-tier domestic force."
"Secondly, a few of the magic artifacts you brought looked familiar to me. I have heard of the previous owners of these artifacts: one from the Chamber of Commerce, two from masters of the United Federation, and the rest mostly from famous evil cultivators."
"This is interesting; you brought them here to recast their appearances, suggesting that the force behind you cannot expose these artifacts publicly. Why is that?"
"If you were evil cultivators, there would be no need for this, so who else would spend so much effort on such things? Only those righteous renowned sects who are concerned about their reputation. Therefore, I determined you are likely from one of the three major forces."
"But if it were the Chamber of Commerce or the United Federation, they’d have no need to recast their own forces’ artifacts, just use them as they are. Who dares to speak against them?"
"By eliminating all impossibilities, your identity becomes clearer; you are most likely people from the Patrol Defense Office."
"Of course, I still couldn’t be sure, but what happened next made me realize that I was correct."
"Just days after your departure, the people detaining me suddenly mobilized. Though I couldn’t see outside from my confinement, I could feel the mountain road’s bumps, and realized they were taking me deep into the mountains. Upon arrival, I smelled the unique scent of herbs and knew this was the secret base of the Dharma Sect."
"I roughly guessed the location; it’s in the Bakang Mountain Range, one mountain away from the Esoteric Sect’s territory. Initially, I was unsure why they brought me here, thinking they wanted me to appraise the artifacts, but nothing happened for three consecutive days until I saw you here again. That’s when it hit me."
"Your identities were exposed, and they intended to eliminate you here and then blame it on others by dumping your bodies in the Esoteric Sect’s territory."
"The magic artifacts you brought were excellent, and the Dharma Sect people were very interested. They suspected you still had good stuff on you and wanted me to inspect your corpses afterward to ensure nothing valuable was missed."
"After you came in and I shared the situation with you, though your face showed no expression, your spiritual power fluctuated slightly. From that, I knew my guess was correct; you truly are from the Patrol Defense Office."
"You’re right about one thing; I didn’t rescue you because of you but to save myself. I didn’t want to stay in that ghost place even for one more minute. I want revenge, to personally kill that beast and take back everything that belongs to me. I won’t let those Dharma Sect bastards off either..." free𝑤ebnovel.com
Sheng Yanlin gritted his teeth, and anyone could see the immense suppressed hatred boiling inside him—it wasn’t mere perseverance, but this hatred that sustained Sheng Yanlin until now.
"I understand how you feel, but you can’t take this Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes away; it’s more important to me than my life." Yang Xiao knew what he wanted and refused to be led by the nose by the old man.
"I once did want to acquire this clothing, but now, it’s unnecessary." Sheng Yanlin shook his head with a bitter smile, his eyes turning red.
"Why?"
"Because this clothing is not meant for me; it’s for my unreliable brother!"
"I have no wife or children, only a brother to rely on. I intended to hand over the academy to him in the future."
"My brother has excellent talent, even surpassing mine. His understanding and control over artifacts are also top-notch, but unfortunately, due to an accident in his youth, his resonance with artifacts was impaired. Since then, the number of artifacts he can control has been severely limited, dooming him from becoming a top-notch master, which means he has no chance at the dean’s position."
"I saw this happen, anxious and eager, and so I searched through ancient books until I found this Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes."
"Through extensive research, I discovered this item could perfectly solve the predicament my brother faced, greatly increasing the number of artifacts he could wield, helping him become a top-level master. With that, inheriting the dean’s position wouldn’t be questioned again."
"For him, I never stopped searching for this garment’s whereabouts over the years, but just when there was finally some hope, my unreliable brother... couldn’t wait any longer."
Sheng Yanlin’s face streamed with tears, the next second, his expression turned grotesquely hideous, like a Fierce Ghost ready to devour someone:
"I promised him countless times I would help him become the next dean, but... but he just couldn’t wait."
